Reseña de Visions of Transmerica: Neobaroque Strategies of Nomadic Transgression de Krzysztof A. Kulawik

Kaup, Monika

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  276	world.	Despite	certain	tensions	and	equivocations	throughout	the	text	(i.e.,	between	the	exceptional	nature	of	Cervantes	as	a	writer	and	Cervantes	as	a	representative	of	a	Mediterranean	aesthetics;	between	the	representation	of	affect	within	a	text	and	the	purported	affective	operations	of	a	text	on	readers;	 or	 between	 the	 Mediterranean	 as	 a	 unique	 context	 and	 the	Mediterranean	 as	 a	 universal	 context,	 as	 demonstrated	 by	 the	 equation	“Mediterranean	experience	=	emotional	experience”	[192]),	the	monograph	performs	with	great	acumen	the	important	function	of	extending	the	scope	of	 the	 “affective	 turn”	 to	 address	 fields	 of	 study	 in	 which	 it	 has	 been	previously	overlooked.	In	doing	so,	Johnson	fulfills	his	ambition	of	serving	as	“a	spur	to	setting	forth	across	new	geographical,	disciplinary,	and	critical	frontiers”	(195).	In	this	regard,	Affective	Geographies	presents	an	important	contribution	to	both	Cervantine	Studies	and	Mediterranean	Studies	alike.		EL I 	 COHEN 	Villanova	University			KRZYSZTOF 	A . 	 KULAWIK . 	Visions	of	Transmerica:	Neobaroque	Strategies	of	Nomadic	Transgression.	Literature	of	the	Americas	Series.	Cham,	Switzerland:	Palgrave,	2024.	xxxi	+	388	pp.		The	Baroque	and	 the	Neobaroque	have	 long	been	associated	with	queer	culture	 and	 queer	 sexuality:	 the	 Baroque	 appeals	 to	 the	 passions,	 and	formally	 it	derives	 from	a	 transgressive	 impulse,	 the	non-classical	use	of	classical	 forms.	 Visions	 of	 Transmerica	 builds	 on	 the	 poststructuralist	approach	 to	 the	 Baroque	 as	 the	 “apotheosis	 of	 artifice,	 the	 irony	 and	mockery	of	nature,”	outlined	by	Cuban	Severo	Sarduy	in	“The	Baroque	and	the	Neobaroque”	(translated	by	Christopher	Winks	and	included	in	Baroque	New	 Worlds:	 Representation,	 Transculturation,	 Counterconquest),	embracing	and	expanding	Sarduy’s	semiotic	understanding	of	the	Baroque	as	 the	 rebellious	 resignification	 of	 dominant	 culture,	 of	 linguistic	 and	cultural	 codes	at	 anarchic	play	mirroring	nonreproductive	eroticism	and	queer	 transgressive	 identities.	 Sarduy’s	 theoretical	 and	 fictional	Neobaroque	 oeuvre	 is	 revealed	 to	 be	 the	 center	 of	 a	 large	 understudied	network	of	queer	writers	and	performance	artists	from	Latin	America	and	the	U.S.-Mexico	borderlands,	who	are	shown	to	aim	at	the	same	“category-bending”	 and	 “decentering	 of	 identity”	 (125)	 through	 a	 panoply	 of	transgressive	 features	 and	 operations	 including	 “cross-dressing,	androgyny,	 queer	 ambiguity,	 metamorphosis,	 posthumanity,	 and	borderlands	transit”	(125-26):	Mario	Bellatin	(Mexico);	Silviano	Santiago	and	Hilda	Hilst	(Brazil);	Diamela	Eltit,	Pedro	Lemebel,	with	Francisco	Casa,	Juan	  277	Dávila,	and	Eugenio	Prado	(Chile);	Roberto	Echevarren	(Uruguay);	Nestor	Perlóngher,	 Naty	 Menstrual,	 Suzy	 Shock,	 and	 Washington	 Cucurto	(Argentina);	 La	 Familia	 Galán,	 Alfredo	 Muller	 Suárez,	 and	 Silvia	 Rivera	Cusicanqui	 (Bolivia).	One	of	Kulawik’s	 contributions	 is	 to	extend	 (queer)	Neobaroque	studies,	commonly	considered	to	center	on	Latin	America	due	to	the	region’s	geopolitical	history	of	hybridity	and	transculturation,	to	U.S.-based	 borderlands	 writers	 Gloria	 Anzaldúa	 and	 Guillermo	 Gómez-Peña.	Visions	of	Transmerica	thus	revolves	around	three	key	concerns:	queerness	(in	 the	 broad	 sense	 of	 non-normative	 sexualities	 and	 identities),	 trans-American	comparisons,	and	Neobaroque	form.	The	eponymous	neologism	“Transmerica”	 points	 to	 another	 key	 aim	 of	 this	 study,	 to	 explore	 the	intersection	 of	 very	 different	 varieties	 of	 transgression:	 sexual/identity-based	 (in	 Jack	 Halberstam’s	 sense	 of	 *trans)	 and	 spatial	 (nomadism,	migration	 across	 national	 borders):	 “The	 works	 examined	 in	 this	 study	originate	 from	 the	 several	 nation-states	 but	 are	 not	 necessarily	representative	 of	 any	 national	 literatures	 or	 cultures.	 They	 find	 their	common	 denominator	 in	 the	 aesthetics	 of	 the	 Neobaroque	 as	 a	transnational,	 inter-American	 technique	 and	 style”	 (40).	 That	 said,	Kulawik’s	study	is	more	theory-oriented	than	writer-focused.	Drawing	on	wide-ranging	readings	in	queer	and	feminist	theory	(Halberstam,	Teresa	de	Lauretis,	Alice	 Jardine,	Elizabeth	Grosz,	Cherríe	Moraga,	Gloria	Anzaldúa,	José	 Esteban	Muñoz,	Marjorie	 Garber,	 and	 others),	 and	 poststructuralist	theory	 (Gilles	 Deleuze,	 Rosi	 Braidotti,	 and	 others),	 Kulawik	 develops	 a	theory	of	hybrid	and	decentered,	transformative	identity	(“trans-identity”)	closely	modeled	on	Deleuze’s	concepts	of	nomadism	and	becoming-minor.	Additional	analogies	are	pointed	out	with	decolonial	indigenizing	concepts	of	 in-betweenness	 (Silvia	 Rivea	 Cusicanqui’s	 Andean	 concept	 of	 ch’ixi).	These	 different	 varieties	 of	 heterogeneous,	 mobile,	 and	 deterritorialized	identity	 are	 further	 said	 to	 align	 with	 the	 de-centering	 “Neobaroque	 of	disequilibrium”	conceptualized	by	Severo	Sarduy.	It	is	true	that	displacement	and	transgression	are	a	key	element	in	all	the	theories	and	works	discussed.	But	the	effort	to	show	the	vast	impact	of	Neobaroque	stylization	across	nomadic	and	queer	cultural	constructs	in	the	Americas	ends	up	undermining	the	clarity	of	the	study’s	claims.	Indeed,	the	study’s	 own	 rhetoric	 emulates	 Sarduy’s	 Neobaroque	 strategies	 of	substitution	and	proliferation:	 the	 list	of	associated	theorists	and	writers	never	seems	to	end,	and	critical	focus	is	often	displaced	to	other	works	and	topics	before	connections	to	previous	material	are	fully	established.	Equally	distracting,	 constant	 cross-references	 divert	 attention	 from	 the	 focal	material	at	hand,	to	the	point	it	becomes	difficult	to	discern	where	the	direct	treatment	of	specific	works	and	theories	can	be	found.	The	table	of	contents	is	 less	helpful	 than	the	 index	for	orientation.	As	a	result,	 the	argument	 is	  278	suggestive	 rather	 than	 persuasive.	 A	 baroque	 overabundance	 of	proliferating	 parts	whose	 differences	 exceed	 their	 parallels	 –	 to	 borrow	Carpentier’s	apt	description	of	the	baroque	horror	vacui	–	move	“outward	and	away	from	the	center,	.	.	.	somehow	break[ing]	through	its	own	borders”	in	his	essay	“The	Baroque	and	 the	Marvelous	Real”	 (translated	by	Tanya	Huntingdon	and	Lois	Parkinson	Zamora	and	included	in	Magical	Realism:	Theory,	History,	Community).	This	prevents	the	argument	from	emerging	as	 a	 clear	 and	 coherent	 whole	 but	 does	 not,	 however,	 diminish	 the	substantial	research	base	of	this	study.	Individual	sections	and	subsections	of	chapters	are	informative	guides	on	specific	topics	and	works.	This	is	true,	for	 example,	 of	 section	 2.2	 (“Neobaroque	 Literary	 and	 Artistic	Transgressions”)	 (53-68),	 section	 4.1	 (“The	 Neobaroque	 as	 a	 Style	 of	Instability	 and	 Excess:	 In	 the	 Footsteps	 of	 Sarduy	 and	 Bataille”),	 or	 the	discussion	of	Bolívar	Echevarría’s	concept	of	“Baroque	Ethos”	(341-44).	On	balance,	Visions	of	Transmerica	makes	a	valuable	contribution	on	a	number	of	individual	counts	(mini	essays	on	specific	topics)	but	falls	short	of	its	aim	to	place	these	within	a	coherent	overall	“transmerican”	framework.		MONIKA 	KAUP 	University	of	Washington		KR I S 	 LANE , 	 ED . , 	 AND 	T IMOTHY 	 F . 	 J OHNSON , 	 TRANS . 	Basques	and	Vicuñas	at	the	Mouth	of	Hell.	A	Documentary	History	of	Potosí	in	the	Early	1620s.	Reno	and	Las	Vegas:	U	of	Nevada	P,	2024.	383	pp.		In	the	early	1620s	the	silver	mining	center	of	Potosí,	located	in	what	today	is	Bolivia,	had	a	population	of	more	than	120,000	people,	mostly	indigenous	workers	brought	to	mine	silver.	It	was	an	important	source	of	revenue	for	the	Hapsburg	monarchy	that	was	engaged	in	an	expensive	religious	conflict	in	Europe	of	Christians	vs.	Christians	known	as	the	Thirty	Years	War	(1618-1648).	 For	 three	 years	 (1622-1625),	 Potosí	was	 the	 scene	 of	 civil	 violence	reminiscent	of	the	war	between	rival	boot-legging	gangs	in	Chicago	in	the	late	1920s,	with	an	escalating	number	of	assaults	and	murders	among	rival	factions	of	Basques	and	non-Basques	known	collectively	 as	Vicuñas.	The	cycle	of	violence	ended	with	a	general	pardon	of	the	major	players	in	1625	that	excluded	the	sicarios	(assassins)	that	royal	officials	hunted	down	and	punished.		 This	volume	reproduces	in	translation	six	original	documents	that	are	accounts	 of	 the	 cycle	 of	 violence	 that	 offer	 different	 perspectives	 on	 the	conflict	and	abstracts	from	a	seventh	document	that	was	a	muster	roll	of	the	local	militia	mobilized	to	patrol	the	streets	of	the	city	in	an	effort	to	control	the	violence.	This	is	an	important	collection	of	primary	sources.	Historian	

KRZYSZTOF A. KULAWIK. Visions of Transmerica: Neobaroque Strategies of Nomadic Transgression. Literature of the Americas Series. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave, 2024. xxxi + 388 pp.

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KRZYSZTOF A. KULAWIK. Visions of Transmerica: Neobaroque Strategies of Nomadic Transgression. Literature of the Americas Series. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave, 2024. xxxi + 388 pp.

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